


Traveler's Serenade

by Shroombasai



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Like..... really briefly mentioned, M/M, Piano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29834490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shroombasai/pseuds/Shroombasai
Summary: Shuichi wants to impress his crush, but didn't know how to do it.Until, that is, he hears the sound of piano music.
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Saihara Shuichi
Kudos: 13





	Traveler's Serenade

**Author's Note:**

> Shuichi's being gay. Again. For an avocado. A pretty, pretty avocado.

Rantaro Amami was, in a word, gorgeous. What with his light green hair that curled and was mussed in places, with that shaved underside, his pierced ears and eyebrow? It was too much for Shuichi. Way too much. So, like the normal person that he was, he wanted to try to impress Rantaro.

But what would impress him? Surely, it had to be _something_. Everyone was impressed with something. Kaito liked everything space related, Tenko was impressed by literally anything Himiko did, and Kiibo’s bright aqua eyes glowed happily upon anything that piqued his interest.

But what of Rantaro? Surely something had to have his attention. Shuichi paced though the halls of the school, thinking long and hard about what would catch the young adventurer’s attention.

Then, it came to him in the tune of the timbre of a piano, and his steps quicken as he approaches the lab room of Kaede Akamatsu. He quietly opens the door and peeks inside, Kaede sitting at her piano as her fingers danced across the white and black keys with such even precision even Shuichi had trouble keeping track without falling under the gentle melody that was crafted from skilled fingers. In the room was the object of his affection, Rantaro, who was sitting on a metal foldable chair backwards, one leg tucked through the hole while the other was outside, practically straddling the chair in such a weird way that made Shuichi quietly laugh. He seemed calm on the outside, but Shuichi can tell there was a hint of interest behind those soft green eyes as he listened to Kaede play.

He didn’t want to intrude on what obviously was a private performance between friends. So, he stayed behind the door, listening to the notes dance through the air with a smile.

Soon, the performance end, and Rantaro and Shuichi both politely clap, Kaede’s shoulders lifting and then falling like a scale as she turns around with a sigh, a smile gracing her face. “ Thanks for listening, Rantaro. How was it?”

Rantaro chuckles, an ever-calm smile on his face. “ Perfect as always. You have a natural talent for this stuff.*

She giggles, straightening an already straight skirt as she swivels around the piano bench. “ Ah, thank you Rantaro, it means a lot! It’s called ‘Arabesque No. 1’, by Debussy!”

Rantaro hums, resting his head on the back of his hand. “ Well, it’s quite beautiful to listen to, Kaede. Piano music is always so calming, yet it can become so emotional at the same time. Makes me want to dance.” He chuckles, Kaede laughing with him.

“ Yeah. Music does that, gives people emotions simple words cannot! Ah, it makes me emotional too, I can’t help but get absorbed into it! And making people feel just as strongly as me? Ahh, it’s great.”

Shuichi latches onto that, looking at the sleek black piano that sat in the middle of the room. Giving people emotions that words couldn’t?

Maybe that’s the thing he needs. He smiles to himself and gently shuts the door, hurrying down the hall as to not seem like he was snooping on them. He wasn’t, it was just simple curiosity and the urge to stay and listen to the music. Who wouldn’t become enthralled by the piano? It was a work of art.

His plan comes to motion after lunch finished, Shuichi tapping Kaede on the shoulder as she began to leave. She turns around to Shuichi, still with that ever-present smile that made Shuichi smile as well. “ Hey, Shuichi! What’s up?”

Ah, right. Now to ask. It can’t be that hard.

“ Ah- Um- Can I- Um-“ His throat dries, and he realizes he’s boned if he couldn’t even muster up the courage to ask Kaede to teach him how to play piano. Kaede was patient at least, Shuichi looking at the ground and rallying up his words.

“ Kaede, could you- Could you teach me how to play the piano?” Shuichi says, and he tenses in anticipation for laughter, or for a denial, as he tends to get at times. But that doesn’t come, and he looks up to twinkling eyes, Kaede smiling even wider than usual.

“ Of course! Is there a reason why, or are you just interested?” She clasps her hands together as she leans in a little, Shuichi leaning back on instinct as he looks away.

“ Well, um….. no reason-“ He says, but Kaede knew him better than that, and she light laughs, her hand settling on his shoulder.

“ No, wait. I know. It’s Rantaro, isn’t it.”

“ Wh- No? Um- It’s- Well-“ Shuichi stutters, face turning red, and Kaede just smiles at him kindly.

“ No, I get it. He’s got your heart, and you want to tell him without actually _telling,_ right? Music tells words even words can’t convey.”

Shuichi just shyly nods, tugging at his bangs, and Kaede grabs both of his shoulders, Shuichi looking at her. “ Then we’ll start today! Don’t worry, I’m a good teacher!”  
  
Shuichi nods, putting his faith in her.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turns out, Kaede really was a good teacher. She was patient with him, even as Shuichi kept fumbling over hand positions and what keys to press when and for how long, and even went through a run through of music theory so Shuichi could make sense of the symbols and lines that made up music sheets.

By the third week, Shuichi could play a fair amount of easy songs, Kaede sitting besides him on the piano bench as his nimble fingers pressed the keys to the simplified tune of Für Elise. By the end, Kaede claps for him, and Shuichi couldn’t help but smile in relief as he got the notes right, even if it was a little slower than it was usually taken at.

“ That was beautiful, Shuichi!”

“ Thanks….. I think I’m ready to play something for Rantaro.”

Kaede nods, and she hops up and heads to where she kept folders filled with piano music, shuffling through them. “ Any song in mind? I have everything from classical to pop songs to blues.”  
  
Shuichi hums, idly pressing the middle C key over and over again as he thought. “ Actually, do you have……. Do you have the piano cover for……… ‘This Side of Paradise’? By, uh…… Coyote Theory.”

Kaede flips through a few more pages, then pulls out a few sheets of paper, nodding. “ Got you covered. You can do this, I believe in you!” She comes over, switching the music. “ This have meaning to Rantaro?”

“ Ah, yeah. It….. reminds me of him, I guess. Just…… it’s a nice song.”

“ I’m sure it is, and I’m sure he’ll love it. Alright…..” She starts the metronome, and Shuichi takes in a deep breath as he began to work through the music.

By the end of next week, he felt ready to show Rantaro. He sat by himself in the piano room, fingers drumming idly on his pant legs as he looks between the door and the piano. Shuichi bit his lips a little in worry. What if he didn’t show up? What if he didn’t even like it? Then it’d all be a waste. He felt bad already for making Kaede teach him this past month just so he could attempt to impress someone he wasn’t even sure liked him back the same way.

But the door opens, and Shuichi has to swallow this thoughts as Kaede walks in, followed by Rantaro, who was blindfolded with a certain prankster’s checkered scarf.

“ Ah, are we there yet?”  
  
“Almost….” Kaede says in a sing-song tone, and she directs him to a chair, Rantaro feeling around and instinctively switching it around so the back was at his chest, Shuichi smiling fondly at the action. Even blindfolded, Rantaro refused to sit properly on a seat.

“ Okay! You can take off the blindfold!” Kaede chirps, and Rantaro pulls away the scarf, eyes blinking as it got adjusted back into the lights, and green comes in contact with soft gold grey, which makes Shuichi’s heart hammer deep in his chest and throat, but he still shyly waves, Rantaro smirking and waving back.

“ Hey Shu, what’s up?”

“ Ah, um…. I…. I want to show you something.” Shuichi says, Rantaro’s pierced eyebrow raising in simple intrigue.

“ Really? For me?”

Shuichi quickly nods, and he turns around to face the piano, swallowing and setting his fingers to the keys. “ Yeah. It’s…… ‘This Side of Paradise’, but on the piano.”

“ Oh, that’s one of my favourite songs.”

Shuichi nods, a soft smile coming to his face. “ Then I hope you’ll enjoy this just as much.” He takes a deep breath, collecting his nerves and closing his eyes.

He could do this.

He’s about to play for Rantaro.

He can do this.

Shuichi taps his foot once, then twice, then starts playing, going slow at first before speeding up to it’s normal pace as he melded himself into the feeling of keys and notes flowing through the air, blocking out the feeling of eyes at his back and the nervous puddle in his guts.

Shuichi’s fingers danced over the white and black keys with a beginner’s grace, but it wasn’t terrible, and when he finished, it was pure silence. He looks behind him, feeling sticky sweat at the base of his neck and on his forehead, and Rantaro was silent, staring at him. Shuichi bites his lip, and he nervously smiles, gripping the fabric of his pants. Kaede was smiling proudly in the corner of there room, hands clasped proudly in front of her.

“ Did…… you like it?” Shuichi asks quietly, looking across Rantaro’s still figure, at the hand that rested over soft lips, adorned with rings, at the mussed and curled soft green hair, at the loose blue striped shirt, and at wide green eyes.  
  
“ That was…..” Rantaro starts, and he shifts, the hand that covered his mouth dropping as it loosely hung over the back of the seat. There was a smile adorning his face, and Shuichi smiles back, hopeful.

“ That was the most beautiful, heartfelt performance I ever heard. You were amazing, Shu. I love it.”

“ Re-Really…?” Shuichi stutters, and Rantaro nods, smiling as he stands up from his seat, coming over to Shuichi.  
  
“ Really really. That was the best thing I’ve heard. It came from you, after all. Anything that comes from you is the best.”

Shuichi sputters, face turning red. Oh. _Oh._

Rantaro chuckles, and he ruffles Shuichi’s hair, Shuichi whining and gently pushing his warm hand away. “ Hey!”

Rantaro just smiles at Shuichi, that smile absolutely hitting him right there in the heart.

“ If you want to play anything else, I’d love to hear it, okay?”  
  
Shuichi rapidly nods, face still strawberry red. Rantaro chuckles one last time, and he makes his way out. “ Thanks for inviting me, Shuichi, Kaede. I’ll see you around alright?”  
  
Kaede waves to Rantaro as he leaves, Shuichi waving slightly faster, by just a millisecond, and when he leaves, Kaede and Shuichi look at each other, Kaede grinning.  
  
“ Well…..?”  
  
“…… Teach me more. Please. His smile- I can’t- It was so good- Ahhhh-” Shuichi gay panics, and Kaede nods eagerly, coming over.

Shuichi couldn’t help but want to see more of that beautiful face being proud of him, and maybe one day he’ll gather up the courage to ask for a date. For now though?

He’s going to learn how to serenade him through the power of music.


End file.
